Saturday, December 31, 2005

Another year under our belts and a lot of reflection on our victories and our not-so happy moments is always good for the soul of any organization. As we were all clamoring around trying to pull all the 2005 events together we were absolutely amazed at all that had transpired in twelve short months. We were also more than pleased at the accomplishments we have racked up. That being said, let's get to the year in review.

January of 2005, had the disgruntled National Alliance members still smarting over the fact that Erich Gliebe had actually granted me an interview. While they were scratching their heads wondering why, Gliebe had a few more items on his agenda that he would be quite a surprise to everyone.

White came under the scrutiny of the NAACP for the discriminatory practices he invokes in renting his properties. The investigation which is still underway will certainly yield a bevy of infractions and cost him a considerable amount of money and a great deal of angst. But, true to form, he is fighting back. One has to wonder how he can bandy with the powers that be after his own discussions over how white his holdings have become. But, if you are Bill White, a narcissist, and omnipotent all things are possible.

White's law-suits and rental practices, histrionics and web postings, along with many letters of complaint written to the appropriate people all combined to make him the target of the nation's watchdog group in the area of Fair Housing. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is interested in finding the truth about Bill White and his company.

As is typical with White, nothing in his life is kept private. The pathology of his affliction will not allow him to keep things unto himself after all, his self-importance is such that the entire world is waiting to hear about his every thought and move. Of course, we would hear much more from White later in the year.

On a very sad note, however, the night of January 8, turned to murder. Daniel Judge, a skinhead Creator out of Joliet, Illinois, stabbed and killed Joseph Karpen and wounded his brother. Brian Moudry, the Creator leader in Joliet claimed that the murder wasn't racially motivated but the Karpen family and friends claimed differently. A plea went up from Moudry for financial assistance from his fellow Creators for Judge's defense. In so doing, he couldn't help but mention the circumstances surrounding the crime. His statement, "This stemmed from a altercation one of our other brothers was having with a black, and some race traitors came to the blacks defense…" Signaled nothing less than a racially charged set-to.

In writing about the actions taken by Judge, I had been in touch with family and friends and had a pretty good picture of the kind of man Joseph Karpen was. Conversely, I didn't know Judge but his savior, Brian Moudry, was familiar territory. At that time I wrote the following:

"The upshot of all of this is that another Creator went berserk, took a life, and wounded another. In August of last year, it was Hardy Lloyd that I reported on after he shot and killed his girlfriend. Prior to that the head of the Creator's had been convicted of soliciting the murder of a federal judge. Just a few years ago, it was Benjamin Smith who went on his shooting rampage killing 2 and wounding 9. And the list goes on and on. Where does it end?

Joseph Karpen was 25 years old with a whole lifetime ahead of him. His brother, Ben, is only 20 and will, undoubtedly, never forget the night of January 8, 2005, - the night his brother was killed and he was wounded by a crazed and sick man who had also been the victim of hate. Daniel Judge is 19 years old and his life is all but over."

Brian Moudry really didn't care for what I had to say and a series of emails ensued, in which he claimed to have no knowledge of exactly what happened because he was at home in bed, and at the same time he insisted that there was no racial aspect to the crime.

Daniel Judge remains in jail on First Degree Murder charges with a trial date of January 9th, 2006.

Thursday, December 29, 2005

All week Bill White has been targeting David Duke, Vince Breeding, and Kevin Alfred Strom via the words of "Terrible" Tommy Metzger. Not that I object to White, or anyone for that matter, tearing into another Nazi or white nationalist - or whatever they are calling themselves these days, but I couldn't help but wonder how the "Commander" of the NSM was going to react to the tear-down of other white activists since that is a particular sticking point for the Hollywood goon squad these days. I didn't have to wait too long to find out! Bill now has some major sucking up to do to one of the biggest asses in the movement. And as Jeff Schoep anxiously assumed the position, Bill acquiesced.

Bill kissing ass shouldn't surprise anyone since he really has very few places left to go. What's he going to do, team up with the washed-up likes of Metzger? I would doubt that. Metzger might be a has-been, but the old man knows enough not to bring White into his fold. But, watching White back-peddle and do penance has been good for the soul.

Last night, Bill said his first Hail Mary in the form of a disclaimer and a promise not to do it again:

"...the views that were expressed in my writings on this subject and those of Tom Metzger are solely mine and Tom's views, and not the views of the National Socialist Movement. The National Socialist Movement has a policy of not airing too much "dirty laundry", even when its true. The National Socialist Movement has bigger battles to fight than the battle against corruption in non-NSM movement groups; if you're too stupid to see what you're getting involved in when you're getting involved with some of these people, that's not our problem.

"Thus, we will not be publishing any more of the material personally attacking various movement personalities at this time. As this all started as a project on the use of prostitutes by the Southern Poverty Law Center and other Jewish groups to infiltrate white nationalists, and as a study on Nancy Manning, research will continue, and I hope to have that story presented in full in the near future.

And I want to note that Overthrow.com is not an official NSM website, and the material presented hear sometimes reflects my personal views, or the personal views of its authors, and not official positions of the NSM. Official positions of the NSM can be read on the official NSM website at http://www.nsm88.com."

A couple of us laughed at this - not only that Bill had his wings clipped but at the ridiculousness of one group of racists trying to protect the reputation of another. And you would think that once Bill had kissed Schoep's ass that would have been sufficient - but apparently there was a lot more sucking up to do. See, this is what happens when your have burned all of your bridges. Today, White sang the praises of Schoep in a new article. The whole thing made me want to gag on the saccharine! Below is the article along with a few of my thoughts:

Commentary -- Jeff Schoep is the Commander of the National Socialist Movement, and he is a man who is much maligned. Like all of the National Socialist Movement’s leadership, the Jews, the anti-racists and even our opponents within the movement cannot stand the fact that he is an exceptional individual, and they are constantly putting out propaganda attacking him. I want to clear some of these slanders up.

First, I have to say that it is interesting that White is acknowledging who the "leader" of the NSM is since, for all practical purposes, he has been acting as the commander since October. Characterizing Jeff Schoep, however, as an "exceptional individual" is just a little much even when your tit is in the proverbial wringer.

I also want to address a question which too many outsiders and disrupters ask me, which is why I am, and we of the NSM in general are, willing to acknowledge the Commander as the leader of the National Socialist Movement. Those who engage in that line of questioning have generally never met Jeff, and are relying on information provided them by the Southern Poverty Law Center or one of the other anti-racist slander operations.

The first thing that has to be said about the Commander is that he is a very intelligent fellow. The anti-racists – and opposing white nationalists – have created this fantasy world around the National Socialist Movement where our leadership – whether it’s the Commander, the Chairman, me, Von Bluvens, or anyone else – is composed of mouth-breathing mentally ill sexually questionable welfare-receiving unemployed social misfits. I often wonder why anti-racists shoot so far off the mark, because the only people they are capable of fooling are those who have never met our leadership – you only have to meet any one of us to know that everything that is said about us is completely untrue. It is almost like they bet on the fact that we are living in caves, Osama bin Laden style, where no one can meet with us – because there is no other situation in which their lies could succeed.

The "Commander" is so "intelligent" that he committed a burglary with his girlfreind while two children waited in the car. The "Commander," was admonished by the judge because he didn't live up to the National Socialist dogma that he supposedly represents. Actually, I am beginning to wonder if Mr. "Millionaire 158 IQ" Bill has ever met these people he is talking about.

Cliff Herrington laid the foundation for the National Socialist Movement, and Jeff Schoep built it into what it is today. Jeff is the one who persevered in the early days of the NSM’s re-emergence. He’s the one who built the units and the organization to the point where it became an attractive organization for those interested in advocating National Socialism. Jeff is the one who is responsible for building the organization that was capable of holding the kind of international attention getting events that occurred in Toledo – and Jeff is the one who holds the National Socialist Movement and its units and branches together.

So...we can credit Jeff Schoep for causing a riot in Toledo and for "building" a 200 member Nazi outfit right here in the United States of America! Wow! I'm sure we are all so impressed with his abilities! There are actually 20 or 30 of them who show up at events and do their stiff arm routine while behind a line of 700 police officers - now, that is quite an accomplishment.

I know what the Commander does on a day to day basis, and I would not want his job. Not only does he do, with a very small staff assisting him, the administrative things required to run our organization – receiving mail, seeing that letters get answered, talking to and screening new members and new units – but he also deals day in and day out with all of the personality conflict and bullshit required to run an organization. Part of Jeff’s job is staying above the fray, staying neutral, and keeping members who are unhappy about what some other member is doing from getting so upset they leave the organization. He’s also in charge of party discipline, expelling and suspending members who don’t behave, and other obnoxious tasks. Being Commander is a very hard and thankless job.

So...he reads three letters a week and assigns someone to answer two, he talks to two potential members a month and declares one of them a "unit," he tries to keep the clowns from killing each other, while he makes decisions about who to keep and who to kick out. As I hear it, that decision is a no brainer - cross his palm with greenbacks you can screw up as much as you want. Well! With all of those responsibilities, it's a wonder he has time to put his baby blue lenses on before he leaves the house!

I recognize in our Commander a lot of personality traits necessary for his job that I know I don’t have, and I think very few others in the “movement” have as well. I am aggressive, confrontational and very dismissive of most other people – at least those who are critical of me. I lack normal fears of consequences that prevent other people from acting. This is good in some ways – for instance, I can buy up the home of a violent crack dealer and gang member and order him to leave it without the knowledge that there is a real possibility he might shoot at, injure and/or possibly kill me altering my behavior.

Oh yeah Bill, we are so impressed with the dangers you face being a slumlord.

In a way, you can’t publish a website like Overthrow.com without having that approach to the world – the fact that I say something that might cause a major newspaper or television show to libel me to hundreds of thousands of people just doesn’t cause inside me the kind of pressure that has led many white activists, “exposed” in the media, to break and abandon their point of view.

Bill, slander only applies when people lie about you. You provide everyone with enough truth that they never have to do that.

The Commander is much more sensitive to other people, and much more tolerant of other people’s faults and foolishness. When members complain, even if he disagrees with them and thinks their point of view is asinine, he will go to the member they are complaining about and try to find a way to make everyone involved feel better about the situation. When other white nationalists – members of groups who regularly attack the NSM, run us down, insult national socialism, call us “Hollywood Nazis” and other stupid names, and ban us from their events – call him up and complain about one of our members, even though these other whites are complete scum,(Careful, Bill - you are violating the NSM policy) Jeff treats them respectfully, listens to their concerns, and sometimes even tells our members that, despite the scuminess of the people complaining, all NSM members have to adhere to our standards of personal conduct. And the Commander isn’t even a Christian.

I think a lot of Jeff’s conflict resolution ability comes from his role as a father. He has six legitimate children (not the ten illegitimate ones readers of VNN and CAH accuse him of having), and he has said that dealing with NSM personality conflicts is almost like running an elementary school sometimes.

Well, when you consider they still like to dress up and play WWII games, I would imagine it is a lot like dealing with elementary school kids. That's quite an interesting comment from Schoep. We've been saying, for a long time, that the maturity level of that group is about 3rd to 4th grade. Glad we can at least agree on something.

As to his children, Bill White didn't address the statements that have been thrown around about the six children coming from several different women and how Schoep isn't able to support all of them or that he receives public assistance. That's interesting since I have asked him about that and he just danced all around it.

I know the feeling. Running Roanoke’s West End is often the same way.

Thus, when I see Jeff attacked by various groups, whether they are trying to create a “split” by making up internal conflicts between various NSM members, or they are just insulting him and lying about his personal life, it is somewhat infuriating. Obviously I’ve grown used to the slander mills over the years, but Jeff Schoep is not the person that the NSM’s detractors make him out to be.

The Commander is an incredible organizer, a very intelligent person, a responsible, employed married working man with a large family, and yet someone who still finds the time to deal with all the personality and administrative work involved in running the National Socialist Movement.

Oh, now Schoep is a working stiff! And, Jeff Schoep was used to the insults and the rumors long before Bill White joined up. As a matter of fact, Schoep and I were trading insults and cyber blows while Bill White was claiming he would never join an organization and that he wasn't a racist Nazi. And if Schoep is such an "incredible organizer" why is it that you can't get anyone to show up at your non-events? Why is it that a "unit" only has to have one member?

Don't you just love the way Bill has of sounding like this protective patriarch? What an absolutely scandalous fraud! Also, did everyone catch the fact that "in the world according to Bill," he now "runs" Roanoake's West End?

Anyone with those skills wins my admiration. There is no question that I write well, and I argue well, and that I am good at making and raising money, but I know I wouldn’t have the patience to administer an organization like the National Socialist Movement – and I doubt many other of the Commander’s detractors could as well. Building an organization like the NSM is a huge project, and the fact that Jeff has been able to do it at all does more to prove his worthiness as our leader than any argument of the anti-racists or phony white nationalist scam artists can do to oppose it.

Watching Bill White grovel is pretty damn funny and put another spark in the end of a really eventful year. But, what else could he do? When this gig is up - there just aren't too many places Bill can go. No one wants him or his lies. I think he know this and is trying desperately to hang on to this, his last bastion of hope in his continuous battle for acceptance. The problem is, he can't help but step on toes - he can't help but overstep his bounds. Even when he is contrite and apologetic, he cannot help but stroke his own ego. Such is the life of a narcissist. And no matter how many feathers Jeff Schoep plucks, no matter how short he clips White's wings, he cannot ever harness Bill's avaricious appetite for recognition. Running Roanoake's West End, indeed!

As has been the case every year for as long as I can recall, an American college campus is once again embroiled in controversy over the expression of racism in its hallowed halls, and what it may seek to do in response.

This time the place is Bellarmine University, a Catholic college in Louisville, Kentucky, where, for the past several months, freshman Andrei Chira has been sporting an armband for "Blood and Honour"--a British-based neo-Nazi and skinhead-affiliated musical movement, that calls for "white pride" and white power. Created originally as a magazine by Ian Stuart of the Hitler-friendly and openly fascist band, Skrewdriver, the Blood and Honour "movement" promotes bands that sing about racial cleansing and the deportation, if not extermination, of blacks and Jews. Blood and Honour's symbol, similar to the Nazi swastika, is that of the South African white supremacist movement, and is featured prominently on Chira's armband.

Chira, for his part, seems more confused than dangerous. All in the same breath he insists he is not a Nazi or neo-Nazi, but that he is a National Socialist (the term for which Nazi is shorthand). He insists he is not a white supremacist, a racist, or anti-Jewish, yet claims to be a supporter of the American National Socialist Movement (NSM), which calls for citizenship to be limited to those who are non-Jewish, heterosexual whites, and which group praises Hitler on its website.

All of which raises the larger question, which is not so much whether or not Chira should have the freedom to be an ignorant lout, but rather, how did someone so incapable of evincing even a modicum of intelligible (or merely internally consistent) thought, get admitted to a good college like Bellarmine in the first place? Are there no standards anymore?

Naturally, the debate has now begun to turn on the issue of free speech: Does the University have the right to sanction Chira or force him to remove the armband, or do his First Amendment rights trump concerns about the feelings of students of color, Jews (yes there are some at the Catholic school, both students and professors), and others who are made to feel unsafe by a neo-Nazi symbol?

It's a tug-of-war that has divided American higher education for years, with some schools passing restrictive codes limiting language or symbols that express open racial or religious hostility, and others taking a more hands-off approach. Bellarmine has remained uncommitted to any particular course of action. The University President has spoken in defense of Chira's free speech rights (and of the principle, more broadly), and has called for a committee to study the issue and determine what kind of policy the school should adopt to deal with hate speech.

Buzz around campus has been split between free speech absolutists on the one hand (who seem to predominate), and those concerned about the way in which racist symbols might intimidate and further marginalize already isolated students, faculty and staff of color, on the other. Faculty have sniped at one another from both sides of the issue, as have students, and a group of about a dozen students recently launched a sit-in outside the office of the Vice-President for Student Affairs, to insist on the inviolability of free speech rights.

As students prepare to return for the spring semester, there is little doubt but that the issue will dominate time and energy on the Bellarmine campus in months to come, and that how the school resolves the issue will come to inform other colleges with regard to their own hate speech policies. Having spoken recently at Bellarmine, and having met dozens of conscientious students and faculty there, concerned about addressing racism, I would like to take this opportunity to chime in, both regarding the existing free speech debate, and the larger (and I think more important) issue, which is how best to respond to racism, whether at a college or in society more broadly.

To be honest, I have never found the main arguments of either the free speech absolutists or those who support hate speech restrictions to be particularly persuasive.

On the one hand, the free speech folks ignore several examples of speech limitations that we live with everyday, and that most all would think legitimate. So, we are not free to slander others, to print libelous information about others, to engage in false advertising, to harass others, to print and disseminate personal information about others (such as their confidential medical or financial records), to engage in speech that seeks to further a criminal conspiracy, to speak in a way that creates a hostile work environment (as with sexual harassment), to engage in plagiarized speech, or to lie under oath by way of dishonest speech. In other words, First Amendment absolutism is not only inconsistent with Constitutional jurisprudence; it is also a moral and practical absurdity, as these and other legitimate limitations make fairly apparent.

Secondly, the free speech rights of racists, by definition, must be balanced against the equal protection rights of those targeted by said speech. If people have the right to be educated or employed in non-hostile environments (and the courts and common sense both suggest they do), and if these rights extend to both public and private institutions (and they do), then to favor the free speech rights of racists, over and above the right to equal protection for their targets, is to trample the latter for the sake of the former. In other words, there is always a balance that must be struck, and an argument can be made that certain kinds of racist speech create such a hostile and intimidating environment that certain limits would be not only acceptable, but required, as a prerequisite for equal protection of the laws, and equal opportunity.

So, for example, face-to-face racist invective could be restricted, as could racist speech that carried with it the implied threat of violence. Whether or not a neo-Nazi symbol of a movement that celebrates Adolph Hitler qualifies in that regard, is the issue to be resolved; but certainly it should not be seen as obvious that any and all speech is protected, just because of the right to free speech in the abstract.

Not to mention, does anyone honestly believe that Bellarmine, a Catholic school, would allow (or that most of the free speech absolutists would insist that they should allow) students to attend class with t-shirts that read: "Hey Pope Benedict: Kiss my pro-choice Catholic ass!" or "My priest molested me and all I got from my diocese was this lousy t-shirt?" No doubt such garments would be seen as disruptive, and precisely because they do not truly express a viewpoint or any substantive content, but rather, simply toss rhetorical grenades for the sake of shock value (likely part of Chira's motivation too).

Chira's armband, in that regard, is quite different from a research paper, dissertation, or even a speech given on a soapbox, or article written for his own newspaper, if he had one: namely, unlike these things, the armband is not a rebuttable argument, nor does it put forth a cogent position to which "more speech" can be the obvious solution. It provokes an emotional response only, and little else.

At the same time, the arguments of those who would move to ban hate speech have also typically fallen short of the mark, at least in my estimation.

To begin with, speech codes have always seemed the easy way out: the least costly, most self-righteous, but ultimately least effective way to address racism. First, such codes only target, by necessity, the most blatant forms of racism -- the overtly hateful, bigoted and hostile forms of speech embodied in slurs or perhaps neo-Nazi symbolism -- while leaving in place, also by necessity, the legality of more nuanced, high-minded, and ultimately more dangerous forms of racism. So racist books like The Bell Curve, which argues that blacks are genetically inferior to whites and Asians, obviously would not be banned under hate speech codes (nor should they be), but those racists who were too stupid to couch their biases in big words and footnotes would be singled out for attention: in which case, we'd be punishing not racism, per se, or even racist speech, but merely the inarticulate expression of the same.

In turn, this kind of policy would then create a false sense of security, as institutions came to believe they had really done something important, even as slicker forms of racism remained popular and unaddressed. Furthermore, such policies would also reinforce the false and dangerous notion that racism is limited to the blatant forms being circumscribed by statute, or that racists are all obvious and open advocates of fascism, rather than the oftentimes professional, respectable, and destructive leaders of our institutions: politicians, cops, and bosses, among others.

Secondly, hate speech codes reinforce the common tendency to view racism on the purely individual level -- as a personality problem in need of adjustment, or at least censure -- as opposed to an institutional arrangement, whereby colleges, workplaces and society at large manifest racial inequity of treatment and opportunity, often without any bigotry whatsoever.

So, for example, racial inequity in the job market is perpetuated not only, or even mostly by overt racism -- though that too is still far too common -- but rather by way of the "old boy's networks," whereby mostly white, middle class and above, and male networks of friends, neighbors and associates pass along information about job openings to one another. And this they do, not because they seek to deliberately keep others out, but simply because those are the people they know, live around, and consider their friends. The result, of course, is that people of color and women of all colors remain locked out of full opportunity.

Likewise, students seeking to get into college are given standardized tests (bearing little relationship to academic ability), which are then used to determine in large measure where (or even if) they will go to college at all; this, despite the fact that these students have received profoundly unstandardized educations, have been exposed to unstandardized resources, unstandardized curricula, and have come from unstandardized and dramatically unequal backgrounds. As such, lower income students and students of color -- who disproportionately come out on the short end of the resource stick -- are prevented from obtaining true educational equity with their white and more affluent peers. And again, this would have nothing to do with overt bias, let alone the presence of neo-Nazis at the Educational Testing Service or in the admissions offices of any given school.

In other words, by focusing on the overt and obvious forms of racism, hate speech codes distract us from the structural and institutional changes necessary to truly address racism and white supremacy as larger social phenomena. And while we could, in theory, both limit racist speech and respond to institutional racism, doing the former almost by definition takes so much energy (if for no other reason than the time it takes to defend the effort from Constitutional challenges), that getting around to the latter never seems to follow in practice. Not to mention, by passing hate speech codes, the dialogue about racism inevitably (as at Bellarmine) gets transformed into a discussion about free speech and censorship, thereby fundamentally altering the focus of our attentions, and making it all the less likely that our emphasis will be shifted back to the harder and more thoroughgoing work of addressing structural racial inequity.

Perhaps most importantly, even to the extent we seek to focus on the overt manifestations of racism, putting our emphasis on ways to limit speech implies that there aren't other ways to respond to overt bias that might be more effective and more creative, and engage members of the institution in a more thoroughgoing and important discussion about individual responsibilities to challenge bigotry.

So instead of banning racist armbands, how much better might it be to see hundreds of Bellarmine students donning their own come spring: armbands saying things like: "Fuck Nazism," "Fuck Racism," or, for that matter, "Fuck You, Andrei" (hey free speech is free speech, after all).

That a lot of folks would be more offended by the word 'fuck,' both in this article and on an armband, than by the political message of Chira's wardrobe accessory, of course, says a lot about what's wrong in this culture, but that's a different column for a different day. The point here is that such messages would be a good way to test how committed people at Bellarmine really are to free speech, and would also send a strong message that racism will be met and challenged en masse, and not just via anonymous e-mails.

In other words, if Chira is free to make people of color uncomfortable, then others are sure as shit free to do the same to him and others like him. Otherwise, freedom of speech becomes solely a shield for members of majority groups to hide behind, every time they seek to bash others.

Instead of banning hate speech, how much better might it be if everyone at Bellarmine who insists that they don't agree with Chira, but only support his rights to free speech, isolated and ostracized him: refusing to speak to him, refusing to sit near him, refusing to associate with him in any way, shape or form. That too would be exercising free speech after all, since free speech also means the freedom not to speak, in this case, to a jackass like Andrei Chira.

Instead of banning hate speech, how much better might it be for Bellarmine University to institutionalize practices and policies intended to screen out fascist bottom-feeders like Chira in the first place? After all, Bellarmine, like any college can establish any number of requirements for students seeking to gain admission, or staff seeking to work at the school, or faculty desiring a teaching gig. In addition to scholarly credentials, why not require applicants -- whether for student slots or jobs -- to explain how they intend to further the cause of racial diversity and equity at Bellarmine?

And before I'm accused of advocating the larding up of the school's mission with politically correct platitudes, perhaps it would be worth noting that these values are already part of Bellarmine's Mission and Vision statements to begin with. To wit, the school's Mission statement, which reads:

"Bellarmine University is an independent, Catholic university in the public interest, serving the region, the nation and the world by providing an educational environment of academic excellence and respect for the intrinsic value and dignity of each person. We foster international awareness in undergraduate and graduate programs in the liberal arts and professional studies where talented, diverse persons of all faiths and many ages, nations and cultures develop the intellectual, moral and professional competencies for lifelong learning, leadership, service to others, careers, and responsible, values-based, caring lives."

And this, from the school's Vision statement:

"Bellarmine University aspires to be the innovative, premier independent Catholic liberal arts university in Kentucky and the region for preparing diverse persons to become dynamic leaders to serve, live and work in a changing, global community."

In other words, the school's entire purpose is consistent with the search for diversity and equity, and entirely inconsistent with the racism and Nazism of persons like Chira. So why shouldn't the school seek to ensure that only persons who adhere to, buy into, and are prepared to further the purpose of the institution itself, are admitted or hired to work there? Once there, individuals may indeed have free speech rights that protect even their most obnoxious of views, but that says nothing about the ability of the school to take steps that will make it much harder for such individuals to enter the institution to begin with.

Making a proven commitment to antiracist values a prerequisite for entry (and perhaps requiring some form of training in these issues or antiracist service project in order to graduate or receive tenure or promotion) would go far towards operationalizing the college's lofty (but thusfar mostly impotent) mission, and would make controversies such as the present one far less frequent or relevant.

If Bellarmine is serious about stamping out racism, it is this kind of institutional change -- which would both limit the presence of racists and increase the numbers of people of color and white antiracist allies, by definition -- that they should adopt. No more platitudes, no more promises, and no more unnecessary debates about free speech. Create an antiracist culture from the get-go, by expanding affirmative action, diversifying the curricula, and using admissions and hiring criteria that sends a clear signal: namely, you may have free speech, but so do we; and we are exercising ours to tell you that you are not welcome here.

Sadly, perhaps the most important missing ingredient in the struggle to uproot racism, is white outrage: not at those who challenge racism (oh we've plenty of anger for them, typically), but rather, at those who are white like us, and whose racism we listen to with amusement, more so than indignation.

So, for example, notice how the free speech supporters wax eloquent about the importance of upholding Chira's right to be a racist prick, but they evince almost no hostility towards he and his message, beyond the obligatory throw-away line: "I completely reject his views, but will fight for his right to express them." In other words, they are far more worked up about the possibility (however slight it appears to be) that the Administration may sanction the Nazi, than they are about the fact that there is a Nazi on their campus in the first place. Which brings up the question: does Nazism not bother them that much? Or have they confused the valid concept of free speech with the completely invalid notion that one shouldn't even condemn racists, out of some misplaced fealty to their rights (which notion of course relinquishes one's own right to speak back, and forcefully, to assholes like Chira)?

I long for the day when whites will get as angry at one of our number supporting bigotry and genocidal political movements, as we do at those who denounce the bigots and suggest that the right of students of color to be educated in a non-hostile environment is just as important as the right to spout putrid inanities.

What's more, I long for the day when whites stage sit-ins to demand a more diverse and equitable college environment for students of color (which currently is threatened by rollbacks of affirmative action, for example), just as quickly as we stage them to defend free speech for fascists, which, at Bellarmine at least, shows no signs of being endangered, so quick has the Administration been to defend Chira's liberties.

In the final analysis, when whites take it upon ourselves to make racists and Nazis like Chira feel unwelcome at our colleges and in our workplaces, by virtue of making clear our own views in opposition to them, all talk of hate speech codes will become superfluous. Where anti-racists are consistent, persistent, and uncompromising, and where anti-racist principles are woven into the fabric of our institutions, there will be no need to worry about people like Chira any longer.

Monday, December 26, 2005

Year after year, Christmas after Christmas miracle workers across the United States and around the world give of themselves to help others. Often, these are the unsung heroes. Hopefully, someday our country will not have hungry children. Maybe, someday...all of America's children will know the joy of being a child. Surely, someday...we will be able to celebrate the fact that all of our children are cherished.

This is but one story among the thousands upon thousands out there - but Big Mama epitomizes what a true "miracle worker" is.

"Where's Big Mama?" she said over the microphone to her neighbors. "Bless the Lord, here's Big Mama and she's got something for you."

One by one, almost 300 children and their parents passed by the booth and entered the lot outside Reed's home near Northwest Third Street and 12th Avenue in Fort Lauderdale. The land usually remains empty, but Saturday it was decorated with a dozen red, green and white tents and tables brimming with Christmas gifts.

Some families had heard about the celebration through word of mouth and registered their children in Reed's Miracle Tree wish list, while others joined the celebration after seeing the crowd gathering outside. All around, the smell of popcorn and chicken fritters filled the air as children clutched onto their new toy trucks, dolls and clothes.

"I'm God's worker, but Santa's helper," Reed said. "For some of these families, this is all the Christmas celebration they are going to get."

Saturday's Christmas celebration was among the many altruistic activities Reed has led in the past two decades. Despite being poor herself, she has become the unofficial grandmother of the neighborhood by helping children who have lost their way or have needed adult attention. Cindy John was at the celebration with her 13-year-old son Christopher. John, 32, said she will count her blessings today for her health, for having a joband for having met Reed this year.

The single mother of five said if it wasn't for Reed's help, she would not have been able to give her children any gifts this Christmas.

"I can hardly explain how I feel to be able to give my kids something for Christmas," said John, who works as a cashier at Winn-Dixie. "Our Christmas tree only has Big Mama's gifts underneath it. She's wonderful."

Reed gained national attention recently when Phil McGraw interviewed her on his Dr. Phil show on Dec. 13 for feeding her neighbors for almosttwo weeks after Hurricane Wilma.

"This is one powerful year," Reed said. "[Hurricane] Wilma played a big role. It's been my calling to help my neighbors."

The national attention attracted sponsors for Saturday's Christmas event, including the Miami Dolphins, Rick Case Honda, the First Presbyterian Church of Fort Lauderdale and Reed's own church, the Royal Assembly Church of the Living.

Also helping Reed were 25 volunteers of the Team of Life, the nonprofit organization she started 1 1/2 years ago to help expand her charity work in the community.

"She gives to everyone and keeps nothing for herself," said Elizabeth King, one of the volunteers. "She's unbelievable."

Friday, December 23, 2005

This particular piece made the rounds throughout the internet a few years ago and in these troubled times where everyone seems to be blaming everyone else, I just felt that it might be appropriate. I have no idea who wrote it - if anyone knows I would love to be able to put a name to it. Enjoy.

TO OUR CHILDREN OF EARTHby Anonymous

Dear Children (and believe us, that's all of you), We consider ourselves pretty patient folks. For instance, look at the Grand Canyon. It took millions of years to get it right. And about evolution? Boy, nothing is slower than designing that whole Darwinian thing to take place, cell by cell, and gene by gene.

We've been patient through your fashions, civilizations, wars and schemes, and the countless ways you take Us for granted until you get yourselves into big trouble again and again.

We want to let you know about some of the things that are starting to tick Us off.

First of all, your religious rivalries are driving Us up a wall. Enough already! Let's get one thing straight: These are YOUR religions, not Ours. We're the whole enchilada; We're beyond them all. Every one of your religions claims there is only one of Us (which by the way, is absolutely true). But in the very next breath, each religion claims it's Our favorite one.

And each claims it's scriptures were written personally by Us, and that all the other scriptures are man-made. Oy Vey. How do We even begin to put a stop to such complicated nonsense?

Okay, listen up now. We're your Father AND Mother, and We don't play favorites among Our children.

Also, We hate to break it to you, but We don't write. Our longhand is awful, and We've always been more of "doers" anyway. So ALL of your books, including those Bibles, were written by men and women. They were inspired, remarkable people, but they also made mistakes here and there. We made sure of that so that you would never trust a written word more than your own living heart.

You see, one human being to Us, even a bum on the street, is worth more than all the Holy Books in the world. That's just the kind of folks we are.

Our spirit is not a historical thing. It's alive right here, right now, as fresh as your next breath.

Holy books and religious rites are sacred and powerful, but not more so than the least of you. They were only meant to steer you in the right direction, not to keep you arguing with each other, and certainly not to keep you from trusting your own personal connection with Us.

Which brings Us to Our next point about your nonsense. You act like We need you and your religions to stick up for Us or "win souls" for Our sake. Please, don't do Us any favors. We can stand quite well on our own,thank you. We don't need you to defend Us, and We don't need constant credit. We just want you to be good to each other.

And another thing, We don't get all worked up over money or politics, so stop dragging Our names into your dramas. For example, We swear to Us smile::::, that We never threatened Oral Roberts. We never rode in any of Rajneesh's Rolls Royces. We never told Pat Robertson to run for president, and We've never, EVER had a conversation with Jim Baker, Jerry Falwell, or Jimmy Swaggart! Of course, come Judgment Day, We certainly intend to....

The thing is, We want you to stop thinking of religion as some sort of loyalty pledge to Us.

The true purpose of your religions is so that YOU can become more aware of Us, not the other way around. Believe Us, We know you already. We know what's in each of your hearts, and We love you with no strings attached.

Lighten up and enjoy Us. That's what religion is best for. What you seem to forget is how mysterious We are.

You look at the petty differences in your Scriptures and say, "Well, if THIS is the truth, then THAT can't be!" But instead of trying to figure out Our Paradoxes and Unfathomable Nature, which by the way, you NEVER will, why not open your hearts to the simple common threads in all religions.

You know what We're talking about. Love and respect everyone. Be kind, even when life is scary or confusing. Take courage and be of good cheer, for We are always with you. Learn how to be quiet, so you can hear Our still, small voice. (We don't like to shout).

Leave the world a better place by living your life with dignity and gracefulness, for you are Our Own Children. Hold back nothing from life, for the parts of you that can die surely will, and the parts that can't, won't. So don't worry, be happy. (We stole that last line from Bobby McFerrin.)

Simple stuff. Why do you keep making it so complicated? It's like you're always looking for an excuse to be upset. And We're very tired of being your main excuse. Do you think We care whether you call Us.... Yahweh, Jehovah, Allah, Diana, Wakantonka, Brahma, Cerridwen, Father, Mother, God, Goddess or even the Void of Nirvana? Do you think We care which of Our special children you feel closest to, Jesus, Mary, Buddha, Krishna, Gerald, Mohammed or any of the others? You can call Us and Our Special Ones any name you choose, if only you would go about Our business of loving one another as We love you. How can you keep neglecting something so simple?

We're not telling you to abandon your religions. Enjoy your religions, honor them, learn from them, just as you should enjoy, honor, and learn from your parents.

But do you walk around telling everyone that your parents are better than theirs? Your religion, like your parents, may always have the most special place in your hearts, We don't mind that at all. And We don't want you to combine all the Great Traditions in One Big Mess. Each religion is unique for a reason. Each has a unique style so that people can find the best path for themselves.

Know that Our Special Children, the ones that your religions revolve around, all live in the same place, (Our heart), and they get along perfectly, We assure you.

The clergy must stop creating a myth of sibling rivalry where there is none. Our blessed children of Earth, the world has grown too small for you pervasive religious bigotries and confusion. The whole planet is connected by air travel, satellite dishes, telephones, fax machines, rock concerts, diseases, and mutual needs and concerns.

Get with the program! If you really want to help, then commit yourselves to figuring out how to feed your hungry, clothe your naked, protect your abused, and shelter your poor. And just as importantly, make your own everyday life a shining example of kindness and good humor. We've given you all the resources you need, if only you abandon your fear of each other and begin living, loving and laughing together.

We're not really ticked off. We just wanted to grab your attention because We hate to see you suffer. But We have given you free will to choose your own paths, and We just want you to be happy.

The holidays are here. As shoppers crowd the malls and shops scrambling for that last minute little something that they are certain is necessary to make this Christmas the perfect one, they give little thought to the fact that Christmas is under attack. As they stand in line either grumbling about the wait or dreaming about Christmas morning with their families, they will probably not even notice whether or not the sales clerk wishes them a Merry Christmas. They will take their bargains and scurry off to the next store, their heads all filled with giddy holiday cheer.

Those in the politically correct arena, however, are acutely aware of what people are wishing each other and this year it seems that they are making some headway in their war against everything. The battle against Christmas has been fought, and won, on many fronts. No longer can Christams pagents be staged at community schools. Nativity scenes and other religious symbols delineating the meaning of Christmas have been mothballed by city and civic leaders. Christmas parades have given way to holiday parades and Christmas break is now winter break. All of this so as not to offend those who do not celebrate Christmas.

Now, to me, when I don't know a person's religious affiliation or beliefs I generally send a card that says "Happy Holidays," or something of that nature. But, I also use Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays at whim when speaking with someone. It's not that I am trying to be rude or insensitive - it's just that I find it extremely difficult to break those old habits and remember just what it is that I am supposed to do in such situations.

Conversely, if someone wishes me a Happy Hanukkah, I am not the least bit insulted and generally return the sentiment. What's the big deal? I mean, the spirit of the message is still the same. In all honesty, I don't know a single person who is insulted when I say "Merry Christmas" to them regardless of their religion - NOT ONE. Nor do I know a single Christian who is offended by Hanukkah, Kawanza, or any other religious holiday. But someone out there is really pissed! Maybe they should just get over it.

Thursday, December 22, 2005

Hal the Terroist

By Nicole Nichols

Terrorism…the word that has spurred many colloquies around dinner tables in America has a counterpart - domestic terrorism. Often when we consider domestic terrorism the first thing that comes to mind is the 1995, bombing in Oklahoma City. But, domestic terrorism isn't limited to bombings of buildings or threats of same. There are domestic terrorists who, under threats and calls to violence, intend to intimidate, instill fear in, or coerce others as a means to achieve their own political or ideological goals.

As Americans, we have been so much more fortunate than other countries in that we don't have to live in terror and fear terrorist factions - at least not on a daily basis. Most of us would like to keep it that way. While we are generally content and secure in our homes and our neighborhoods however, there are those within our nation and our communities who are plotting and planning and inciting acts of domestic terrorism against us and ours.

Domestic terrorism is defined as "an act of terrorism, terrorism, terrorist act - the calculated use of violence (or threat of violence) against civilians in order to attain goals that are political or religious or ideological in nature; this is done through intimidation or coercion or instilling fear." And there are those within our midst who do just that.

Hal Turner, broadcasts a radio show during which he advocates and calls for violence against minorities, illegal aliens, and public officials. His website is replete with calls to violence and intimidation tactics. Of course, Hal Turner would claim that he would never commit such acts, he also tells us that there are those who will. Witness:

"For the second time in a week, multiple Mexicans have been found shot dead just inside the U.S. Border! I ADVOCATE KILLING MORE OF THEM! For years I have been publicly advocating on my radio show and this web site, that Mexican illegal aliens be SHOT DEAD as they cross into the U.S. illegally. Now, they ARE being shot dead! I hope my rhetoric contributed to their deaths. I plant the seeds verbally and the seeds grow in the minds of others…I am proud to advocate even MORE killings! Illegal aliens should be KILLED as soon as they cross the border into the U.S…. Water stations placed in the desert should be poisoned. When enough of the illegals are KILLED, the rest will get the message not to come here. Death is a great deterrent! Even better is that it takes around 36 hours before cops even find the dead bodies. You can go on "safari" to kill dozens of these brown-skinned, sub-human animals and be long gone before the cops ever find your handy work."CONTINUED...

Monday, December 19, 2005

Bill White is an exhibitionist. He thrives upon playing to the crowd. He is one of those individuals devoid of depth, shallow and superficial, and always on stage. He is engaging in a very dangerous game and playing with some extreme evil-doers. Throughout all of the chicanery and attempts at carving out a niche for himself, Bill White still finds himself on the outside looking in. His apparent detachment from reality and morality presents us with a potentially dangerous situation. He fancies himself as an "insider" in many circles - many in those circles see him as a pathetically defective personage who will never be worthy of full acceptance. And that is a sad, but fitting, place for the "Kaiser" to be. Yet, given the current climate of hate and hate groups, we must be vigilant and aware that one loose cannon can be very detrimental to society. One loose cannon stirring the already tumultuous pot of many loose cannons can result in nothing less than disaster. And one loose cannon who is a prolific and adroit liar presents us with a myriad of problems.

The prevarications of Bill White have long been discussed among racists and anti-racists alike. Any of either group who have been around for any time at all know to take whatever he says with the proverbial grain of salt. This knowledge has often come back to bite him squarely in the ass. When during the few times that he has been truthful he has been met with guffaws and ridicule. The oddest thing about all of this may be that he doesn't seem to get it. He doesn't seem to do anything different other than get worse. ...CONTINUED

Sunday, December 18, 2005

Coming together for a cause, working as one toward a goal, demostrating solidarity in a belief sends our message of intolerance to those who want to run amok with their racist agenda better than all of the raw-jawing back and forth that usually goes on. The folks Down Under - know that - and they sent their message loud and clear this weekend.

Sydney, Australia...home of beautiful beaches and a good lifestyle until recently. Spurred on by the attack of two lifeguards by Muslims as well as claims that local women were being harassed, a mob of more than 5,000 has been engaging in all sorts of civil unrest across this city.

After days of rioting, Prime Minister John Howard told the media that the race riots at Sydney’s Cronulla beach did not mean Australia was a racist nation. "I do not accept there is underlying racism in this country," Mr Howard told reporters. There are numerous residents who would certainly disagree.

Yesterday, five white supremacists were arrested carrying materials to build petrol bombs. They were dressed in camouflage gear and wore commando-style utility belts and kevlar helmets. There were also five men of Middle-Eastern descent arrested for carrying "offensive weapons." To most, the claim that the unrest is not racial in nature is nothing short of ridiculous.

To make matters worse, a local radio host made racist comments which only added fuel to the fire. An ABC Newsbrief reported, "Brian Wilshire told listeners of his talkback program on the Macquarie radio network last night that Australians should not have to apologise for the drunken riots of last weekend. He then said many in Sydney's Muslim Lebanese community were inbred." But within the Sydney area there are plenty of people who were ready to speak out in opposition to the Prime Minister and to the racist comments and actions of the past week. And this weekend they took to the streets and to the park to demonstrate exactly what they think about all of this. Darp Hau (Matt Henderson) of FightDemBack was there and by all accounts it was a marvelous event.

Another participant known as "Weezil," had this to say to me, "Thanks, Nikki. There are some people in this world who will be racist to their dying day. Can’t do anything about those poor, sad souls.

However, out on the streets yesterday, all across the country, Australians let it be known that if the racist talkback radio hosts and their nazi mates think they are going to manipulate our communities through disinformation, rumour-mongering, terrorism and violence, we will not sit idly by and let them do it."

And to all of the good citizens of Australia who participated and supported this event we commend you for your actions and your support against racism and bigotry. With people like this, the world will definitely be a kinder and gentler place.

Saturday, December 17, 2005

Below is an article that I wrote some time back when we were doing a spread on the Oklahoma City bimbing. I am placing it here because it deals with the religion called Christian Identity. CI is adhered to by a number of racists and is prominently linked to the group known as the Aryan Nations. Their teachings are much more complex than what is talked about here, but I thought it would, at least, give some better perspective on just how far all of this runs the gamut.

For more than a decade, federal lawmen have sternly advised all visitors not to go near the place. When US marshals tried to fly surveillance missions across the nearby hills, the pilot suddenly pulled away when he saw what he thought were muzzle flashes from the ground. Rumors hold that everyone who lives there, down to the smallest child, is trained and armed; that great underground bunkers hold vast stores of munitions, even chemical and biological weapons. It is a place that federal informants seek to infiltrate, and for which federal agents have laid out secret contingency plans for a Waco-type siege. And it is a place where everyone knows that to appear uninvited risks being shot on sight. The place is Elohim City, an isolated religious community in the Ozark Mountains of eastern Oklahoma. Founded by a bearded former Canadian Mennonite preacher named Robert Millar, and currently being led by his son John, it is home to seventy-five men, women, and children who are true believers in the religious doctrine known as Christian Identity.

Clearly, this is a religious community with a difference. Its members believe that government is the enemy, that America's secular, multicultural society is a present-day Gomorrah, and that Elohim City is a bunker in a great battle between the children of darkness (the Jews) and the children of light (the Aryan race).

Elohim City became the subject of scrutiny in the last year when telephone records revealed thatTimothy McVeigh made calls to the rural enclave in the weeks prior to the bombing of the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City. More recently, however, it has been learned that Timothy McVeigh was heavily involved with the domestic terrorists who frequent Elohim City and who practice Christian Identity. But McVeigh's involvement is just one of a host of links that connect the increasingly violent activists of the racist far right to the doctrine which helps to inspire them. Christian Identity, which elevates white supremacy and separatism to a Godly ideal, is the ideological fuel that fires much of the activity of the racist far right.

By reinterpreting the biblical story of creation, practitioners of Christian Identity believe they have discovered a cosmic justification for modern-day racism. According to this reinterpretation, the origins of the Asian and African races lie in biblical "beasts of the fields" — beings of an order lower than humans, whose existence predates God's creation of Adam "in his own image." Adam was not the first man, but the first white man. As the Christian Identity version of the Creation story unfolds, the serpent, disguised as a white man, gets into the Garden of Eden and seduces Eve, who bears the devil — a son in the form of Cain. That's how the Jews get into the picture. Demonizing Jews has a lengthy history in Western culture, but for contemporary racists, Christian Identity provides the ultimate proof that Jews are indeed the "spawn of Satan." Their evidence is even more convincing than the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, the faked 19th-century document which purported to be proof of a worldwide Jewis h conspiracy. Identity followers draw their antisemitism and racism from the Bible.

Although the connections are seldom made by the media, Christian Identity provides the ideological backbone of such groups as the Aryan Nations, which seeks to claim the western mountains as a white homeland; the Midwestern Posse Comitatus, a militant un derground which believes that the local sheriff is the highest legitimate elected official in the land; and Freemen groups like the one that held law enforcement authorities at bay in Montana in 1996.

On a more practical level, Christian Identity enclaves provide a trail of safe havens for movement activists, stretching from Hayden Lake in northern Idaho to Elohim City on the Oklahoma/Arkansas border. When Posse leader Gordon Kahl — eventually killed i n a shootout with federal marshals in 1983 — was on the run, he found shelter with Christian Identity followers in Arkansas. When the FBI was closing in on the Order gang, which had robbed banks and murdered Denver talk show host Alan Berg in the mid-1980 s, its members sought refuge in Bull Shoals Lake, Arkansas, encampment of the Covenant, Sword & Arm of the Lord, a Christian Identity religious community. And 1996 court documents indicate that members of the Aryan Republic Army, a Midwest gang of bank robbers who vowed to use their loot to finance a white revolution and who McVeigh became involved with, had ties to Elohim City.

Given the extraordinary prominence of Christian Identity in defining racial ideology and its political expression on the far right, it is astounding how little serious attention has been paid to the subject by mainstream Christian denominations. It is, after all, the most deeply held beliefs of Christian theologians and clergy — and the doctrines of their religious orders — that have been seized and twisted by Christian Identity practitioners to justify their very "un-Christian" acts. And these religious leaders have both the moral authority and — by virtue of their familiarity with the Bible and with Christian doctrine — the expertise needed to fight back. Yet with few exceptions, the mainstream denominations have remained curiously silent in the face of these modern-day crusades.

"I think one of the reasons is a great many clergy and others who would be equipped to deal with the theology don't really know much about it," says Michael Barkun, whose 1994 book Religion and the Racist Right explores the history and culture of Christian Identity. "They have some sense these are renegade groups that often espouse a white supremacist doctrine, but I think they are unfamiliar with the theology in many cases and not equipped to take it on. And even when they are equipped and k now something about it, I think there is a tendency to regard it not as worthy of attention because it's repugnant or because the numbers of people involved are small and because the groups lack much in the way of public visibility." Theologians who could confront it, says Barkun, "may feel that by doing so that would dignify it and give it a stature they don't wish to have."

In his research Barkun ran across just one graduate student at a seminary studying Christian Identity. When he talks about his book to religious groups, Barkun says, "It's as if they are hearing it for the first time. ...It strikes them that it is so unimaginably distant from the intellectual universe that they inhabit, I might as well be talking about a subject from another planet."

Finley Schaife, minister of the progressive Park Slope Methodist Church in Brooklyn, believes that the mainstream churches do not take the Christian racists seriously because "They don't have power in the mainline church. Nobody pays attention to the powerless. That's why they are blowing up things."

And that is precisely what this writer believes. Those living in Elohim City and other compounds across the country have been seen as impotent and thus regarded as a non-threat to our society. As they have been allowed the luxury of privacy from public scrutiny, so have they been afforded the opportunity to nurture and promulgate their brand of hatred. That hatred has manifested itself over the last few decades in increasingly more violent and heinous acts culminating most recently in the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Building in Oklahoma City.

Timothy McVeigh was an agnostic. There is nothing indicating that he ascribed to the Identity religion. His political ideology, however, was the same as those who follow the Identity teachings. That he made friends with those who were the most extreme in their beliefs and actions is now well documented. That he was involved in the robberies and actions of the Aryan Republican Army has been attested to.

That Christian Identity adherents have spawned some of the most violent domestic terrorists of recent history is unquestionable. And that they have the blood of one-hundred and sixty-eight Americans on their hands is undeniable. And in view of recent evidence and intelligence reports obtained from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Christian Identity adherents of Elohim City are known to be implicated in the domestic terrorist attack of April 19, 1995. Every Citizen Against Hate should be outraged. Every Citizen Against Hate should demand that each and every one of them be held accountable. Every Citizen Against Hate should demand justice.

Friday, December 16, 2005

Kingston, New York officials don't believe that a return by Hal Turner and his cultists should be allowed. Some say that when Turner threatened to bankrupt the city he gave up his First Amendment rights to demonstrate.

I would think that given Turner's threat to keep coming back until the city is bankrupt would certainly be considered by a court. Whatever happens - some interesting precedents may be set.

Kingston threatens court action against white supremacist

KINGSTON - The city will seek an injunction against Hal Turner if the white supremacist tries to hold another rally in Kingston, two city attorneys and the police chief said on Thursday.

Shayne Gallo, assistant corporation counsel for the city, said any court action would be based on Turner's threat during a Nov. 19 rally to bring Kingston "to its economic knees" by holding future demonstrations if a black student accused of attacking a white classmate at Kingston High School wasn't charged with a hate crime.

A recent indictment against the suspect included no hate crimes, but there has been no word from Turner, a New Jersey-based Internet radio host, on whether he plans to return to Kingston.

"We will take all steps necessary to ensure that the city of Kingston's rights are protected and citizens are safe and the city is not bankrupted by a group who make such coercive blackmail kinds of threats," Gallo, brother of the late Mayor T.R. Gallo, said during a meeting of the Common Council's Laws and Rules Committee.

"We are ready," said city Corporation Counsel Daniel Heppner.

Police Chief Gerald Keller told the committee that Turner gave up his First Amendment right to demonstrate in Kingston the moment he turned the prospect of future rallies into a threat.

"To me, this isn't a First Amendment (issue) anymore because when he was here, standing here on Broadway, he said that unless and until the city Kingston charges this young man with a hate crime, we will come back again and again and again and bring Kingston to its economic knees," Keller said. "To me, that is coercive."

Keller conceded, however, that courts usually protect First Amendment rights and could side with Turner.

The Nov. 19 rally - which attracted about 40 Turner supporters, 200 counterdemonstrators and 200 police officers - cost the city about $60,000. The event was verbally confrontational, but there were no violent incidents and no arrests.

The Laws and Rules Committee is considering a proposal that would require demonstrators to obtain permits, but no action was taken on Thursday.

Heppner said he will craft a formal proposal before the committee's January meeting

Thursday, December 15, 2005

COME TOGETHER!

If you have been keeping up with the news, you know that rioting has broken out in Sydney. Our good friends at Fightdemback have their hands full over there and they are dancing as fast as they can.

This weekend their are a series of events scheduled and we hope that if you are antifa over there that you will take part in one of the many offerings. Also - remember that this work that we do takes bucks - so go there FightDemBack and chip in some green stuff!

Fighting Race-Hate in Australia and New Zealand

Come Together

Throughout Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand, communities are preparing their own response to the deplorable actions of of those at Sydney's Cronulla beach last Sunday.

Email us your event details and we'll post them up here (send to fightdembackATgmailDOTcom)

Sydney

The Unite Against Racism March

When: Sunday December 18, 1pm

Where: Town Hall

Where to: Marching to Belmore Park

And when we get to Belmore Park:

Melbourne

5pm Friday 16th

Bourke St. Mall

Nonviolent protest against racist attacks

And then on Sunday…

——–

Unity in Diversity: celebrate multicultural Australia with a picnicfor peace

A peaceful celebration of multiculturalism is planned for this Sunday, beginning with music andspeeches at the State Library on Swanston St in Melbourne's CBD, thena festive walk to Treasury Gardens where families and individualsfrom all backgrounds and all walks of life are invited to a Picnicfor Peace.

"Our aim is to create a space to focus on the positive aspects ofmulticulturalism," said spokesperson, Rosanne Bersten. "We deplorethe racist violence in Sydney and instead want to bring peopletogether to get to know each other, regardless of their heritage orreligion, whatever their background — Anglo-Celtic, Arabic,Aboriginal, African, Asian or a mix of Dutch and Eastern Europeanlike me."

"We hope people at the picnic would get to know a stranger and sharea meal with them. Our motto is 'be a friend, not afraid'."

The timing is deliberately to coincide with the threat of continuedviolence in Sydney. A similar peaceful rally will take place inSydney, organised by United Against Racism.

2pm — 5pm: Picnic for Peace. Bring a picnic meal to share, an openheart and hope for a multicultural Australia.

About Unity in Diversity

We are an unaffiliated group of individuals from a variety ofbackgrounds who have come together in response to the recent eventsin Sydney. We have no political agenda or membership and we welcomeparticipation by all groups who are willing to put aside political,religious and ethnic differences to embrace cultural diversity andharmony. We stand for peace, love and unity and believe that aharmonious multicultural Australia is possible.

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

In spite of the demonstration, in spite of Hal Turner, in spite of all of the dollars that the racists cost the city of Kingston, New York...there are no hate crime charges. We can only speculate as to what comes next - let's hope we are wrong.

KINGSTON - The suspect in the Kingston High School assault that led to a white supremacy rally on the streets of Midtown has been indicted, but not for a hate crime.

An Ulster County grand jury on Tuesday indicted Joseph L. Williams Jr., 16, on felony counts of assault and attempted assault in connection with an Oct. 7 attack on 14-year-old Robert Hedrick.

The fact that Williams is black and Hedrick is white prompted calls, most notably by rally organizer Hal Turner, for Williams to be charged with a hate crime. But police have said all along that the assault was not racially motivated, and the grand jury apparently agreed.

"The grand jury fully explored the case and unanimously determined that the incident was not motivated by race or any other identifiable category of individual," Ulster County District Attorney Donald A. Williams said in a telephone interview on Tuesday.

"Acts of violence in and around our schools are a serious concern for my office and every parent who has a child in school," the prosecutor said in a prepared statement earlier in the day. "What transpired on Oct. 7 entered the zone of criminal conduct that must be dealt with consistent with the laws of this state. Joseph Williams is charged by the grand jury with offenses that bear serious consequences. We hope that this indictment and prosecution will serve as a strong deterrent for other similar conduct."

The Oct. 7 assault prompted Turner, a New Jersey-based white supremacist and Internet radio host, to hold a rally Nov. 19 on Broadway in front of the high school. Turner and 40 supporters, some wearing Nazi uniforms, were greeted by about 200 counterdemonstrators and an equal number of police. The result was an event that was loud and confrontational but not violent.

Turner vowed at the time to hold more rallies in Kingston if the assault suspect was not charged with a hate crime.

The Rev. James Childs, a leader in Kingston's black community and pastor of the Pointe of Praise Family Center on Hurley Avenue in the city, said he was glad the grand jury did not charge Joseph Williams with a hate crime.

"It was not a racial matter," Childs said. "This shows the system works, and I think this means the young man will get a fair trial. The facts of the situation will come out, and the whole thing will be done properly and in order."

Rebekah Hedrick, the assault victim's mother, said the two-count felony indictment was more than she expected and that she would have been surprised if the suspect been charged with a hate crime.

"I believe the hate crime laws are not applied equally," the Tillson resident said. "If the roles had been reversed, I think we would have seen a hate-crime indictment."

Hedrick said her son suffered multiple fractures of facial bones in the incident, has had two surgeries and continues to have impaired vision.

Kingston Police Chief Gerald Keller said the legal system worked in this case.

"The grand jury had the opportunity to hear the facts and came back with the indictments so that justice can be done," he said. "That's the way our criminal justice system works."

Kingston Mayor James Sottile did not respond to a reporter's phone message.

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Was it racism? Racism has become so cloaked in political correctness in this country that it becomes hard to tell. Some might argue this point, but I believe there existed a simpler time in this country when racists called you a “nigger,” and there! It was out there. You knew where you stood, they knew where they stood - oftentimes rope, tree, mob and all.

But today, in our new politically correct, affirmative action, rope-free reality, where separate but equal has given way to equal but separate; where a black man can live next door and share tools with you but he can't date your daughter; where a black man still can't get a cab in New York City; where in the papers, pictures can be shown of hurricane victims leaving stores with goods to survive, and the whites are called victims and the blacks looters, the line has become more veiled.

In today's world, it appears lynch mobs don't form. They use acts of nature and inefficiency to do their work. Take New Orleans as a prime example.

As a former resident of not only New Orleans, but Jefferson Parish and the Superdome (during Katrina), I can honestly say ignorance existed on both sides. But while ignorance on the black side of things basically constituted crimes of pettiness (theft, vandalism, inconsideration, grift, public drunkenness, drug abuse, assault and just being a general ass about things), on the white, or authoritative, side of things, people died - by the hundreds. Levies were blown, neighborhoods were lost, a city was brought to its knees and struggles still to rise.

At present (not to the credit of its citizens but because Louisiana needs the cash), even now, bodies washed out to sea, hundreds missing and unaccounted for, bodies yet to be discovered, a Mardi Gras is being planned. And though I, myself, and my bandmates (Of the Second Chance Second Line Brass Band From New Orleans), paid homage to the lost in Tahlequah a few months ago, New Orleans itself has yet to do so. I find that objectionable - intrinsically wrong. There have been those who've called New Orleans a “haunted city.” I feel it could never be said truer than it can be now, with so many souls yet to be laid to rest.

Was it racism? Not in the traditional sense. I think it was inefficiency allowed to run amok due to the apathy toward those left behind. Many of those considered less than intelligent for having stayed were, in fact, simply too sick, too old, and too poor - myself included - to have motive, means or opportunity to leave. Those who rendered those judgments never thought to ask why someone might stay behind in a disaster zone, aside from ascribing such behavior to either simple stupidity or stubbornness.

That same apathy allowed those who controlled mass transit - on an urban, suburban and national level - to move the transports out of harm's way but to allow those who pay for transit almost daily to remain stranded. The same apathy allowed the leaders of those municipalities to suspend bus service in outlying areas, while offering free bus service at the last minute to anyone who could make it to only certain locations, to the relative shelter of the Superdome.

But I can't just blame the politicians, especially the locals. I've met Ray Nagin on two occasions, once at a funeral for a mutual friend and again at the Superdome on Day 3, after the storm, when FEMA first appeared and disappeared in little over an hour, not to be seen again until well after we reached out of state shelters. He was a man coming to grips with his new reality. He didn't have the National Weather Service, NASA, the Hubbell telescope and whatever else the federal government had at its disposal. All he had was his experience, which, in this case, was nil, and the governor and the president to back him up. He got screwed, like we did. He listened to Gov. Blanco, who listened to President Bush, and (as the saying goes) “hilarity ensued.” But what followed and continues to follow people like me is far from funny. And now, as the holidays approach, families - still splintered with members still lost, displaced and with members missing in action - have only what our federal government has bestowed, which in some cases, amounts to naught.

In most respects, I was lucky. I was in the middle of a move; I took the most important stuff and sealed it in a closet in my second-floor walkup and duct-taped the door. I salvaged it a month or so later, and my family is safe. I found myself drafted into a band with men I think of as the brothers I never had by blood, and gained a certain amount of notoriety from that, and helped the Red Cross help others of my evacuated brothers and sisters along the way. I met good people, like Chuck Cissel, curator of the Oklahoma Jazz Hall Of Fame (thereby discovering there was indeed a Oklahoma Jazz Hall Of Fame - which I was completely unaware of), and the mayor of Tulsa, Bill LaFortune, (who, by the way, is a pretty cool guy, for a Republican). The good people of Oklahoma, mostly white folk, took me in and gave me a place to stay. I found a job, and I've even started my own fledgling business, Flights Of Fancy LLC. In all things I have been truly blessed.

So where, might you ask, does my outrage come from? The ones who got left behind (both actually and metaphorically). Tragedy does a lot of things, most of them bad, but the one positive thing it does is shake loose apathy. It breeds compassion - ironically enough, mostly in the uninvolved. While in Louisiana, it was almost as if we were stripped of our citizenship, and in a very true sense, declared outlaws. It wasn't until we crossed the state line that it seemed to be restored. And as we crossed the distance, that reaffirmation became more acute. Make no mistakes, however, for every person uninvolved who helped us up after, there were those in the ‘Dome: gang bangers, drug dealers, Joe Schmoes, and John Q. Publics, anonymous in the crowd. People upstanding folks would consider either beneath them socially or would escape their notice entirely actually stood up where other more “upright” citizens became what they previously abhorred. I know this to be true, because I was both. The aloof, “upstanding” type, and in time, one who found himself shoulder-to-shoulder with people whom I previously shared no commonality, or bond. Indeed, people I felt an inherent need to avoid throughout my life, to save the lives of those fallen because, again, ironically, they were the ones who stood up while others fell morally and socially by the wayside.

This point in human history was truly a remarkable place to be stranded in. And while I personally am glad it's over, I know in many ways, for many of us - because of the trauma; the unrecoverable loss of irreplaceable loved ones and items of sentiment and true value; the surrounding ambiance of death; the memories of incompetence, injustice, callousness, fear and despair that still claw at the sleep, hearts, minds and souls of many of us - it can never be over.

Was it racism? Was it apathy? Was it incompetence? I think, be it one, two, none or all of those things to you as an individual reader, what it should be to us all, as a people, is a wake-up call.

- - - - -

Chris Lewis is a New Orleans evacuee who stayed for a time at Camp Gruber. He played the trombone in Tahlequah's “second-line parade,” and currently lives in Tulsa.

Monday, December 12, 2005

Crips founder, Stanley "Tookie" Williams, will be put to death by lethal injection just a few minutes after midnight. California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, asked "Is Williams' redemption complete and sincere, or is it just a hollow promise?" He then went on to say, "Without an apology and atonement for these senseless and brutal killings, there can be no redemption."

Willaims has been on death row for twenty-four years and has exhausted every avenue for a reversal or clemency. He was convicted in 1981 for killing a convenience store clerk during a hold-up and a mother, father, and their daughter during a motel robbery a couple of weeks later.

Tookie has been credited with founding the violent Crips street gang along with Raymond Washington who was killed some time back by a rival gang. The Crips gang started in California and spread across the United States resulting in the murders and maiming of scores of individuals.

After spending close to seven years in solitary confinement, Williams authored a series of books for elementary aged children on the dangers of gangs. This garnered him a Nobel Peace Prize nomination by Swiss MP Mario Fehr in 2001. It was too little too late, however.

Perhaps his greatest enemy has been his consistent denial of the crimes for which he was convicted. He claimed that his conviction had been based on "heresay" from the witnesses who testified.

Threats have been flying from Crips in the prison, and some say from outside, that there will be reprucussions should Williams be executed. Many music, TV, and movie stars have been actively attempting to get Tookie's sentence commuted. Today, however, the decision to execute was made in spite of their efforts.

Sunday, December 11, 2005

For quite some time now there has been lots of discussion among the racists as to how effective or ineffective the wearing of uniforms is when rallying. Passions in regard to this issue run the gamut from those who won’t give up the swastika and jack-boots no matter what, and those who believe that the National Socialist Movement and others who accompany them are an insult to White Nationalism.

Of course, much of this stems from the chameleonic mindset that began to permeate the racist right over the last decade. With a kinder and gentler presence, it is believed that dressing more mainstream and speaking in euphemistic terms, racism and hate will be more palatable to mainstream America.

A poster on Stormfront recently stated in regard to the NSM in Toledo:

“What is the purpose of dressing up like a pugilistic [sic] militant (and yes that is what they look like). I've said this a thousand times, fox [sic] and every news station merely had to show what they looked like at the rally and you were pegged in the people's minds as racists. The nazi [sic] symbol isn't going to win any sympathetic votes in the American [sic] general public, no matter how much you think it is. It never will.”

This person is definitely right on one thing – the Nazi symbol will never gain any sympathy from the American mainstream. However, does this entire scenario not speak volumes about those who so long for acceptance? No matter how you package hate – it’s still hate. And no matter how you dress the racist and his message, it’s still a racist spewing vitriol.

The idea behind this make-over of hate is that most white Americans would be much more receptive to a "pro-white advocate group" than to a neo-Nazi organization which openly endorses racism, bigotry and hate. The premise is built upon the knowledge that white Americans are much more apt to embrace a message which is presented by a clean, well-dressed, well-spoken boy-next-door type than the pierced, tattooed and shaven skinhead, or the rag-tag bunch that stands on the steps of public buildings wearing brown shirts and brandishing swastikas.

Even with their new look and new approach, however, it doesn't take much in the common sense department for most people to knock off who and what they really are. Even those who are duped into believing that the group they have joined is anything other than a group of Nazi's who favor the overthrow of the government and an all white world, will soon realize what they have gotten themselves into. All one has to do is listen to and read the rhetoric to realize the true colors of racism.

It is for this reason that the arguments for and against uniforms and a “better presentation” is very humorous to us. It is also, rather insulting. You see, those against the current attire of the National Socialist Movement seem to be selling Americans short. They appear to believe that the large majority of mainstream America can be duped into buying because of the package. We might be an advertisers dream in our gullibility – but hate and genocide has not found a market within our society – nor will it ever.

The initial packaging may change drastically. The entire presentation may take on a "new and improved" look. But, the more things change the more they remain the same. The "new face" of racism may strive to put its best foot forward. But, being successful presupposes that you have adequate footing to begin with. Racists in three piece suits and their efforts to present themselves as the scholarly racialist upon whose every word our communities will hang continues to wobble on unsound footing. Of course, in fairness, with the recent crack-down of the federal government upon the organized racists we realize that searching for a hero and an inroad can be really hard work. But, imbuing a racist agenda with superficiality is really is a pretty far stretch - even for the superior white intellect.

Never Be Silent - Never Accept

It's Time For The Adults To Run America! Progressives Unite!

Nikki's Note

As long as we, as a society, continue to bury our heads in the sand, hope that all of this nastiness will just go away, ask "can't we all just get along," without getting up off of our apathetic asses, without turning off the damned TV, without allowing ourselves to be duped and hoodwinked by our so-called leaders - we are about as useless as windshield wipers on a cat's ass."

A WORD TO THE WISE

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